Separating state and religion

Concerning Khaled Diab's article about Muslim headscarves in French schools (‘Why anti-religious dress codes are no road to liberty', European Voice, 5-11 February), France is traditionally a secular state and this has its origin in the 1789 Revolution.
Its profound attachment to securalism explains its fierce opposition to any reference to Christianity in the future EU constitution. The separation of state and religion is indeed a key principle of the French Republic, which has always been widely observed in state schools.
It is wrong to believe, as Diab suggested, that forbidding headscarves in French schools represents a human rights violation. Banning symbols of religion – inside schools – simply cannot be regarded as endangering the freedom of religion. Indeed, the five-million strong Muslim community living in France may practice their religion as freely as anywhere else in the rest of Europe.
Every country is different: each has its own tradition, rules and principles. France is a secular republic as per its constitution. It respects Islam and all other religions but expects, as in any country, its citizens to respect state rules and principles.
Finally, Diab's reasons as to why so many young Muslim girls in France (and in other EU countries) decide to wear the hijab are pertinent but debatable. The French government had to react to the present critical situation – two or three generations of Muslim immigrants have attended French schools without complaining about or challenging the principle of laicité (secularism). If these early immigrants fitted well in the secular education system until now, why cannot the younger generations do so today?
Emel Yavuz
Brussels